Budget biking. We see what’s around for a £1,000

It wasn’t too long ago that a £1,000 was all you needed to find a good honest used motorcycle, there was no shortage of machines from yesteryear that propped up the bargain basement of the used biking market.

Bikes like the Honda CBR600 Steelie, VFR750 and CBR1000F were the bread and butter for budget bikers.

A quick flick through that well known auction site reveals there’s slim pickings for those who want to do things on a budget.

The big cc machines are probably best avoided, with big bikes can come big running costs, tyres, chains are brakes are put to work that bit harder on bigger capacity machines.

The heart of the ‘Grand-land’ is made up with 600cc machines, for the time being they are the main contenders for decent value for money.

Within the 600 market there’s something for everyone, ranging from once cutting edge sports bikes like the Kawasaki ZX6F and Yamaha FZR600, through to Jack of all trades like the ZZR600 and Bandit six. All of these familiar faces can still be snapped up for less than the price of a posh aftermarket exhaust for modern machine. The real bonus is if you buy right, look after it and keep it a while, chances are you can resell without losing a bean!